Silver-stocked Albanian Rattail Miquelet Pistol, Early 19th C

Description

Albania was a major manufacturing center of firearms for the Ottoman Empire. This is a typical example with wood stock completely covered with sheet nickel silver and raised arabesque decorations. Distinctive highly decorative conical butt formed integrally with the stock. Somewhat crudely made miquelet lock as typically found. Tapering 13 1/2” round barrel of approximately .62 caliber, becoming octagonal at the breach. Pistol shows great age and use, as is common for this type. Iron parts corroded with a nearly black patina. The silver stock with a crack just behind the lock and another on the underside about an inch forward of the lock; the trigger guard with a small piece missing from the reverse side. Lock does not function properly, as is often the case with these crude mechanisms after 200 years. Overall length 20 1/4”. Nearly identical example illustrated in AIslamic Weapons: Maghrib to Moghul@ by Anthony Tirri, fig. 113A, p. 161.